Air New Zealand adds extra Cook Island flights to meet winter demand

Extra flights are being added to meet increased demand for winter holidays in the Cook Islands. Photo / Kave Tamariki, Ariki Adventures

Air New Zealand is adding 11,000 seats and three additional weekly services between Auckland and the Cook Islands in response to high demand for Rarotonga holidays.

From 16 August there will be 11 flights a week between Auckland and Rarotonga, increasing to 12 during the October school holidays.

Arriving just in time for travellers to escape the New Zealand chill, Air New Zealand's chief sales officer Leanne Geraghty says the move has been driven by the strength of demand.

"We want to help as many Kiwis as possible get away for a much-needed break, so it's great we have been able to add more than 11,000 additional seats to our schedule to meet the increased demand."

Jestar which had planned to launch its own connections to Rarotonga has delayed the service until the end of the year.

Plans to introduce a Jestar service to the Cook Islands for the October holidays has been delayed until at least 21 December. However, the Aussie airline has suggested that it is unlikely to launch until Australia had its own quarantine-free travel arrangement with the islands.

Jetstar put the route on sale in early June, but delayed the restart to a later date over Covid 19 concerns.

A spokesperson for Jetstar told Cook Island News they would "reach out directly to customers with impacted bookings with a range of alternative options."

Currently passengers arriving from Australia must have spent at least 14 days in New Zealand before they travel to the Cook Islands.

Masks remain mandatory on flights and additional screening questions are being asked at check-in regarding passenger travel history.